Barcelona: Day 2
Today it is a bit warmer, but not by much. At least the skies were blue and the sun was shining, but there is still quite a chill in the air. We wandered all over the Barri Gotic today, making a stop in the medieval cathedral. It was a smallish cathedral, with many small chapels, intricately carved choir stalls and a crypt dedicated to Saint Eulalia. The most impressive feature for me were the cloisters -- a lovely garden area surrounded by stone corridors. The lush green of the garden with its palm trees belied the chilly temperatures outdoors.
We made several stops to view some notable samples of Barcelona's architecture. At the "Illa de Discordia", a block in the Eixample (more modern part of the city, literally means "expansion") famous for the conflicting styles of architecture of modernist architects, we were impressed by Casa Batllo by Antoni Gaudi. Gaudi's style is very playful and organic. We also stopped by Palau Guell, considered to be one of Gaudi's major works, but tickets to enter were sold out for the day. Another stop was the Palau de Musica Catalan, Barcelona's Concert Hall, said to be one of the most intricately decorated Modernist architectural delight of the city. It seems there will be no musical performances while we are in town, but we were able to purchase tickets for a guided tour on Thursday morning.
We walked up and down Las Ramblas, making several excursions along side streets. The Barri Gotic is very picturesque. There are many narrow pedestrianised streets and it seems there is something picturesque just about anywhere you look. I've taken a ton of pictures so far. We even made it down to the water front, saw the monument to Christopher Columbus, placed on the spot where he greeted Ferdinand and Isabella after his voyage to the New World in 1492. We spied some of the "naturalized" parrots that live in the palm trees nearby.
Barcelona is full of little sandwich places and we decided to try some bocadillos (sandwiches) for lunch. They are served on baguette-like rolls. Brad had a sausage bocadillo, while I had a spinach tortilla bocadillo. They were both absolutely delicious. Tortillas here are omelets, but the main ingredient is potato with just enough egg to bind the other ingredients together.
We also made a stop at a department store today. I was in search of a washcloth. I forgot that most hotels in Europe do not supply you with a washcloth. Usually I bring my own. Anyhow, it was an excuse to check out the largest dept. store in Barcelona. It was really nice but quite expensive.
We've stopped back at the hotel to rest our weary feet and figure out where we want to go for dinner tonight.
Today it is a bit warmer, but not by much. At least the skies were blue and the sun was shining, but there is still quite a chill in the air. We wandered all over the Barri Gotic today, making a stop in the medieval cathedral. It was a smallish cathedral, with many small chapels, intricately carved choir stalls and a crypt dedicated to Saint Eulalia. The most impressive feature for me were the cloisters -- a lovely garden area surrounded by stone corridors. The lush green of the garden with its palm trees belied the chilly temperatures outdoors.
We made several stops to view some notable samples of Barcelona's architecture. At the "Illa de Discordia", a block in the Eixample (more modern part of the city, literally means "expansion") famous for the conflicting styles of architecture of modernist architects, we were impressed by Casa Batllo by Antoni Gaudi. Gaudi's style is very playful and organic. We also stopped by Palau Guell, considered to be one of Gaudi's major works, but tickets to enter were sold out for the day. Another stop was the Palau de Musica Catalan, Barcelona's Concert Hall, said to be one of the most intricately decorated Modernist architectural delight of the city. It seems there will be no musical performances while we are in town, but we were able to purchase tickets for a guided tour on Thursday morning.
We walked up and down Las Ramblas, making several excursions along side streets. The Barri Gotic is very picturesque. There are many narrow pedestrianised streets and it seems there is something picturesque just about anywhere you look. I've taken a ton of pictures so far. We even made it down to the water front, saw the monument to Christopher Columbus, placed on the spot where he greeted Ferdinand and Isabella after his voyage to the New World in 1492. We spied some of the "naturalized" parrots that live in the palm trees nearby.
Barcelona is full of little sandwich places and we decided to try some bocadillos (sandwiches) for lunch. They are served on baguette-like rolls. Brad had a sausage bocadillo, while I had a spinach tortilla bocadillo. They were both absolutely delicious. Tortillas here are omelets, but the main ingredient is potato with just enough egg to bind the other ingredients together.
We also made a stop at a department store today. I was in search of a washcloth. I forgot that most hotels in Europe do not supply you with a washcloth. Usually I bring my own. Anyhow, it was an excuse to check out the largest dept. store in Barcelona. It was really nice but quite expensive.
We've stopped back at the hotel to rest our weary feet and figure out where we want to go for dinner tonight.
posted by lenora at 11:28 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home